As an ambassador of the UAE, in this post, I want to highlight the water pollution aspects of the country along with their implication on the inhabitants’ lives. Innovative approaches of the UAE seem to be very feasible and practical to discuss here, as it is commonly held that the UAE is one of the most innovative countries on the planet. 

The UAE is widely known for its touristic places, mainly a place for hot-weather lovers. Visits of millions of tourists to the county obviously make the water quality in the beach and coasts worse and worse, which in turn could lead to the scarcity of animal species and people’s health. Not only the visits to beaches cause to water species scarcity, but also overfishing effects negatively to the water pollution rates.  

According to globalmediainsights.com, Dubai itself welcomed 5,51 million visitors in 2021. The Atlantis Aqua Ventura Waterpark in Madinat Jumeriah, and the 7-star hotel, Burj Al Arab were one of the most visited placed in Dubai, which are run by water resources to the most part. 

However, due to having extremely arid landscapes, water scarcity is a crucial matter. On top of that, the UAE is a country of the highest rates of water consumption per capita at 550 liters per day, according to ecomena.org. For that reason, it is expected that water becomes such a valuable commodity that some predict it will be more expensive than oil down the road, trade.gov.

How is the government going to solve this issue? According to the UAE water Security Strategy 2036, the country is going to cut total demand for water resources by 21 percent, which is a huge percentage, reducing the water strategy index by there degrees. The county is also considering raising the reuse of treated water to 95 percent and increase national water storage. 

The government is trying to meet these objectives by water conservation awareness campaigns, use of advanced technologies, and innovations in the field of water security. The strategy also comprises the establishment of 6 connecting networks between water and electricity entities across the country. Water networks will be able to provide 91 litres of water per person per day in cases of emergency, or 30 litres per person per day in cases of extreme emergencies. Once implemented, the Water Security Strategy 2036 will achieve savings of AED 74 billion and reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), associated with water desalination process, by 100 million metric tons, u.ae.

According to water.fanack.com, The impact of agriculture on water pollution rates is also crucial to consider. Groundwater* has been one of the main sources of water in the UAE, but because of rapid expansion in the land use for agriculture, two major environmental problems have occurred:

1.    Over abstraction of groundwater for agriculture, which has led to a sharp drop in water levels n freshwater aquifers.

2.    Saltwater intrusion from the sea in coastal areas into shallow freshwater aquifers. 

Groundwater accounts for almost half of the total used water resources in the United Arab Emirates. The country is reported to have used its groundwater reserves 20 times faster than they can be recharged. In a study by UAE University, scientists have warned that the groundwater supply could run out by 2030 due to use by the agricultural sector, which is the largest water consumer in the country, borgenmagazine.com.

What is the solution? The UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science, popularly known as cloud seeding, is an initiative to incorporate innovative methods to raise the ground water level by rain enhancement in arid and semi-arid regions throughout the world thereby helping to achieve water security. 

*groundwater - groundwater is the water found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand and rock. It is stored in and moves slowly through geologic formations of soil, sand and rocks called aquifers, according to groundwater.org. 

References: 

1.    https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/strategies-initiatives-and-awards/federal-governments-strategies-and-plans/the-uae-water-security-strategy-2036

2.    https://www.mofaic.gov.ae/en/mediahub/news/2020/9/4/04-9-2020-uae-global

3.    https://www.globalmediainsight.com/blog/dubai-tourism-statistics/

4.    https://www.ecomena.org/water-management-uae/

5.    https://www.trade.gov/knowledge-product/united-arab-emirates-market-overview?section-nav=2758

6.    https://www.groundwater.org/get-informed/basics/groundwater.html

7.    https://water.fanack.com/uae/water-quality/

8.    https://www.borgenmagazine.com/water-quality-in-the-united-arab-emirates/